Forever and Always
by livvygirl
Summary: A Cause of Death fanfiction based on the song "Forever and Always" by Parachute. Please review and give feedback; this is my first ever fanfiction and I was really nervous to post it! Thank you very much for reading :)


**Author's note: Hey everyone, my name is Livvy, and I'm totally new to fanfiction. Can you please please please please review? I've been writing this for a while and have been scared to post it, but I worked up the courage to anyway. I would really like some feedback and constructive criticism on what I did good and also what I need to work on. Don't be afraid to point out any major mistakes! This is my first ever fanfiction and I'd really like to improve in the future. Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it. Have a great day! :)**

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Natara pulls out her chair and smooths down the back of her silky satin dress before sitting in the wooden chair.

She looks around, admiring the tantalizing dinner she cooked... Just for him.

He had just proposed to her a month ago, the most amazing day of both of their lives. The 2-year partners of the San Francisco Police Department couldn't be more perfect for each other and they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

It's funny how much her life had been changed because of him. After all, she never used to cook until he came into her life. It's almost like he flipped her world completely upside down and changed her entire life.

Now she goes out of her way just to do things to make him smile... Like cooking him dinner or waking up early to curl her hair in the morning before work.

Even the smallest things like spritzing herself with his favorite scent or wearing his favorite shade of lipstick would put that trademark gleaming smile on his stubble-adorned face: the face that she couldn't wait to see in a matter of minutes.

The clock hits 6:32 and the doorbell still hasn't rang. He was supposed to be here at 6:00.

'Maybe he just got held up at work... Anders is probably giving him trouble', she thinks to herself. She reassures herself that he is on his way.

The hours are getting later; it's 7:17 and still no sign of those striking cobalt blue eyes and messy chestnut hair.

Natara begins to worry; she's sure by now he would've called. She pushes her chair back, frowning, and walks over to her living room window. It's dark, but she can still see down to the busy San Francisco street below. Her eyebrows furrow as she sees no sign of Mal's car.

Worried, she turns on her phone and sends a few quick texts to the officers at the precinct.

Natara sets her phone down on the glass coffee table, sighs, and slumps down onto her mahogany colored couch. Usually it's comfy, but without Mal holding her close, it feels as uncomfortable as if she were sitting on a bed of nails.

Natara's head is in her hands when she hears a buzz from the coffee table. Her hopes jump up as she sees text from Blaise.

"Hey- haven't seen Mal since he went with Redbird to check out crime scene. They went to try & chase torch serial killer who has been burning middle age women w/ torches. First victim found this AM & police were called. I'm really sorry Natara but ill get back to u if I see him later.  
-B"

'Okay.. Everything is fine Natara. Mal is still at work. Everything's alright', Natara whispers to herself.

She sets the phone down on the coffee table and picks up a shiny silver frame. It's a picture of the two of them; Mal is making a cheesy smile and Natara's mouth is stretched wide as she's laughing louder than humanly possible.

The glint in both of their eyes shows a passionate love for each other, stronger than anything they've both ever felt in their entire lives. Without each other, they feel empty, incomplete, as if they're missing a vital part of their lives.

Natara's thoughts are interrupted as her home phone rings from the kitchen.

'That's strange..' She thinks to herself. 'Nobody ever calls me on the home phone.'

She gets up from the couch and walks into the kitchen. There's a delightful fragrance of dinner swirling around, but also a nagging feeling in her heart that something's not quite right...

Natara gingerly picks up the grey metallic phone from the cold granite countertop and pushes her finger against the "talk" sweeps back her shimmery chocolate hair, curled just the way Mal likes, and puts the phone up to her ear.

"Hello"? She asks nervously into the phone.

"Have I reached Natara Williams?" A deep male voice asks. There is almost a tinge of sorrow in his voice, like something's bothering him.

"Y..yes.." Natara voices back as she gulps and starts to breathe a little heavier. A tingling shiver travels up her trembling body as she tries to calm down her rapid breathing.

"Miss Williams... we need you at the hospital right away. Your fiancée has been critically wounded. Please be sur-"

Natara has heard enough. She hangs up the phone and simply drops it on the wood floor, not caring that the back shatters in the process.

She doesn't bother to grab anything except for her car keys as she feels sour vomit rising strongly to her raw throat.

Too numb to feel anything, she sprints down what seems like a million flights of stairs, tripping and stubbing her toes multiple times. She is getting lightheaded and her heart feels like it is beating at least 200 miles an hour.

She pushes past everyone in the building lobby not caring about the string of insults being thrown at her as she makes her way through the clumps of people.

Natara sprints outside and yanks open the driver side door of her car. She jams the cold, silver key in as the tears start sliding down her smooth skin. She grips the wheel like her life depends on it and fiercely steps on the gas as hard as she can wearing Mal's favorite shoes he would always compliment her on.

Natara's driving frantically as her mind is going insane. She thinks about how much she loves Mal, how desperately she needs him to stay with her and spend the rest of her life with her. How worthless her life would be without him, like she's living without a single purpose.

The tears are flowing freely out of her hazel eyes filled with worry and terror. Her black mascara that used to rest upon her thick eyelashes was now running halfway down her neck, but she didn't care. All she cared about was the love of her life.

Natara jerks the wheel to the left and lousily parks into the first parking place she found. She yanks the keys out of the ignition and jumps out of the car on wobbly legs. She doesn't even bother to lock her car's door as she sprints like never before into the front doors of the hospital.

She runs right to the front desk, a complete mess, screaming and crying and shaking her head. The nurse looks at her swollen eyes and tells her to stay calm. Natara risks the urge to punch the nurse as she chokes out an incoherent "I'm here to see Mal Fallon."

The nurse's face falls as she pauses for a moment to look Natara in the eyes. Her voice quivers as she tells the sobbing Natara to follow her. The petite nurse rushes Natara down too many white hallways, like a never ending maze. Finally she stops at a door numbered 625 and takes out a drab wooden clipboard. She begins to tell a terrified Natara the details of what happened, that he got brutally shot and was losing a lot of blood.

Natara could barely hear the nurse talking about Mal; she had an awful ringing in her ears and her blurry vision and constant shivers told her that she needed to see Mal- now.

She pushed her way past the sorrowful nurse and into the snow white room, beeping with countless machines. The only source of color in the room was Mal's barely open bright blue eyes that gradually popped open as Natara rushed next to him.

Natara kneels down next to her fiancée's bedside, and grabs his bruised hand, intertwining their fingers together that were undoubtedly a perfect fit.

Natara runs her other hand down Mal's cheek, placing a delicate kiss on his swollen lips.

Mal's eyes had never looked so twinkly, so full of love than that very moment when he mustered up all his strength, looked into Natara's swollen red hazel eyes and said,

"Hey babe, don't cry. All that matters right now is that I love you."

Natara smiles at the love of her life, her partner, her soul mate, the one who she would risk her own life for, and most importantly the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life loving. Salty tears were staining her cheeks as she holds his hand too tight and says,

"Baby, just try to stay strong. Please, for me. I love you more than you could ever imagine."

Rivers are flowing from her eyes full of grief as Mal tightens his strong grip on her petite hand.

Natara runs her hand through Mal's messy brown wavy hair as they talk about their favorite moments together, the moments they felt the most love and affection. The moments where they felt that none other could compare. They share laughs and also tears. The mutual feeling of affection between then was indescribable.

The beeps on Mal's heart monitor are slowing down now, and Natara knows that this is it. She glances down at their hands; Mal's pale one and her tan one, intertwined into one symbolizing their love for one another. She gets a glimpse of her shimmering diamond engagement ring and suddenly an idea pops into her frantic mind.

"Babe, I'll be right back," Natara tells a confused Mal, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Natara darts out of the somber room and into the bustling hallway. She sprints down to the front desk and asks the nurse to bring the chaplain to Mal's room.

"Please," Natara begs, "I'll do anything... I need this."

The nurse gives the panting brunette a strange look but does what she insists.

Natara mutters a "Thank you" and darts back down the hallway and into room 626, not Mal's room, but room belonging to complete strangers, a senior couple.

"Excuse me," Natara, with tears spilling down her swollen face asks, "Are you two married?"

"Uhh yes, ma'am, why do you ask?" The older gentleman replies.

"T-this is... a lot to ask, but my fiancée is in... v-very critical condition and I was wondering if I could borrow your wedding rings before he... he slips away. I promise they'll be returned but I... He... He's the love of my life. It would mean so much to me", Natara chokes out with a small smile.

The seniors look to each other and smile a toothless smile. Simultaneously, they both take their left ring finger and pull off the glimmering wedding bands. The man collects his wife's ring as he holds her hand and gives the wedding rings to Natara.

"You don't understand how much this means to me. Thank you so much... both of you." Natara says as she smiles, breathless, and enters Mal's room next door.

As if he sensed her presence in the room, Mal's closed eyes dart open and scan the room until they fall on the gorgeous woman he loves, the most beautiful thing in his entire world.

Natara crosses the room to sit by Mal's bedside, grasping his hand harder than ever before.

"Baby...," She whispers, "We're gonna get married."

Mal's glimmering blue orbs widen as his trademark smile decorates his face. He struggles but manages to sit up in bed as Natara affectionately runs her hands down his back.

At that moment, the chaplain walks in the room with a bible and a robe. Mal's smile gets bigger as he understands Natara's plan.

A bunch of doctors and nurses in scrubs bring in chairs and set them all around Mal's room in rows. Huge smiles are spread upon every doctors face as they witness the love being passed between the couple even in the strange circumstance.

The chaplain stands in the front of the room with an open bible and reads out a passage. He hands the rings to Natara. Gingerly, she takes the rings as she holds her breath.

Natara grasps her olive toned fingers around Mal's, which were weakening with every passing second. The two look up and blue is mixed with hazel as they share a mutual feeling of love.

Mal, breathing heavily, takes Natara's left ring finger and slides on the delicate, diamond encrusted silver band. He takes the back of her hand and slowly kisses it, savoring the moment.

Mal lays Natara's left hand down on his right one as she takes Mal's bruised hand and holds out Mal's left ring finger. She slides the glimmering wedding band onto it as she says to him,

"Baby, I want you forever and always, through the good, the bad, and the ugly. We'll grow old together, and always remember. Wether rich or poor, we'll still love each other, forever and always."

The chaplain at the front of the room, with tears freely flowing out of his eyes, smiles and says,

"With all the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss your bride."

All the nurses and doctors in the room stand up from their chairs and gave the newly married couple a round of applause as they share a beautiful, intimate kiss.

The kiss between the couple was full of emotion and affection. Their lips moulded together perfectly in an intimate, romantic way as they released the powerful emotions that they were feeling.

Mal and Natara pull back from each other and smile.

"Baby... We're really married," Natara says to her husband.

"I really love you... a lot, you know," Mal replies.

"Me too... Me too," Natara says, distracted by Mal's gleaming blue eyes.

The doctors, nurses, and the chaplain have exited the room now, leaving behind the newly married couple to have a moment to themselves.

The room's air is thick with the feeling of love as Natara lays next to Mal in his bed and runs her delicate fingers along his back. She holds his hand, but his grip is getting weaker and he is having a harder time keeping his eyes open to look at his wife.

Mal's voice is getting almost inaudible, and the speed of the beeps is quickly declining. Natara knows that this is it. These are the last few moments she has with her beloved husband. Tears are falling down her skin as she grips his limp hand.

She wasn't expecting Mal to open his eyes, but he did, and he made eye contact with Natara and flashed a big smile. His heart rate is slowing down, and he becoming weaker with every painful second.

"Natara Fallon", Mal says, with a gleam in his eyes,"I love you forever, forever and always. Please just remember that even if I'm not there, I'll always love you, forever and always."

Natara and Mal lean in together and with the tiniest bit of life that Mal has left, they share one last intimate kiss.

The two both know that they are the only ones for each other, and even if one of them isn't there, they will always love each other, forever and always.


End file.
